Blog of Leonid Mamchenkov

I got really surprised today.  I was checking out which film should I go and see, and out of five movies that I checked, none had an IMDB rating of less than seven.  That’s a hard choice!  So, I asked a friend to come with me.  I couldn’t decided which one of the top three films I wanted to see.  He wanted to see only too.  Only one was common, so we got in and watched “21“.

Do you know those films where a bunch of guys think up some sort of system to beat the casino and win a lot of money?  That’s one of those films.  Do you know those films where a girl falls in love with a guy for how nice he is, and he starts walking a dangerous line and she tells him so, but he responds with something like - “that won’t affect me”?  That’s one of those films.  Do you know those films where they show good friendship of really weird people, and then some of those people make some huge mistakes and let their friends down, but after, when they realize that they were wrong, and they are sorry, their friends let them back in?  That’s one of those films.  Do you know those films where they cast one or two celebrities and surround them with a bunch of unknown but really nice actors and it all plays out nicely?  That’s one of those films.  Do you know those films where they have some really nice photography, especially if any scenes take place in Las Vegas?  That’s one of those films. Do you know those films where … eh, enough.

This is a really nice movie which is mostly entertaining, but reminds of a few things that we should never forget about.  There is some really nice photography and sound.  There is enough good acting to make it really enjoyable - Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne are on the opposite sides of the fence, surrounded by a few young actors and actresses.  There is a bit of drama in this film, and there is some sense of humor.  There is nothing major about this film, but it’s made of quite a few small and nice bits.

Overall, 7 out of 10. Good entertainment.

There are a few sure receipts to make a nice movie.  One of them is mix lots of cars with some boobs and a cool guy.  Of course, there are some film makers who will still be able to screw it up, but Robert Zemeckis is definitely one of them.  I just watched “Used Cars“, the movie he directed back in 1980, with Kurt Russel playing the main role, and this movie is still as good as it was back then. That’s a sign of good entertainment!

6 out of 10.

I was in the mood for some comedy, so I rented “I Think I Love My Wife“.  I knew that with Chris Rock on the cover of the DVD, I had at least a few laughs guaranteed.  I wasn’t wrong.

The thing with Chris Rock is that he is a stand-up comedian.  He writes comedy and then he talks it back to the audience from the stage.  And he is good at that (check YouTube videos for some samples, there are quite a few).   His comedy is usually about much debated topics - politics, racism, gun control, parenting, and stuff like that.

He is a pretty smart guy.  But he is not an actor.  Neither he is a director.  Even though, the titles of this movie will tell otherwise.  Chris Rock is a comedian - that’s what he does.  So this film, like many others that he took part in, is like a continuation of the stage from which he reads his comedy.  Maybe it’s a little bit more visual, with some more people on it, but it’s still just a stage for Rock’s comedy.  Not that I find anything bad in it anyway.

I like his sense of humor.  I like his choice of subjects.  And I like the way he usually looks at things.  He is one of those people who can put complex issues into simple terms.  He often suggests solutions or, should I say, possible course of actions, for the problems that he talks about.

In “I Think I Love My Wife”, Chris Rock explores marriage, the way relationship between husband and wife changes from the wedding day, through years of living together, having kids, daily routines, and things like that.  I have to say that once again he manages to put rather complex issues into simple words and clear perspectives.  However, this time I wasn’t very satisfied with the way the story ended.  It was like an exploration, during which the explorer got scared and aborted the mission.  Maybe because he got scared.  Or maybe because he wasn’t as far there as he was trying to push the movie.  I don’t know.  What I know is that the film went like 80% of the way and then suddenly ended.  And that was a disappointment, since I really enjoyed the journey.

6 out of 10.  Recommended for married couples.

When I am looking for a movie to rent or watch in the cinema, I usually check a few things about the title - IMDB rating, cast, director, genres, awards, etc.  I try not to read any reviews or plot descriptions, but everything else I usually do.  Why am I doing this?  Because there are so many crap movies out there that are not worse spending any time or money on.  However, there are a few actors, who are like good brands.  If I see that actor on a DVD cover, I will rent the movie without any other additional information. I might not even check the title of the film, or try to remember if I saw it before or not.

Denzel Washington is one of such actors. So, when I saw his face on a box of “Deja Vu“, I rented it right away.  And, once again, I was right.  The film is excellent. It has all to it - excellent story with a lot of twists, excellent acting, suspense, action, great photography, humor, food for thought, and so on and so forth.  An extra point goes to those people who picked the cast.  Everyone was good.  But Paula Patton was really beautiful. Really.

If you are sensitive to spoilers, then don’t read this paragraph.  There was a scene in the movie, where an FBI surveillance team is spying on this lady.  They are watching her on a huge screen.  She is at home, getting dressed or something.  But the way she moves around, the way she looks, the way she smiles, it’s so beautiful that they are all stunned.  They are watching her in silence for a few moments.  Almost without blinking.  Well, when the scene is over, I realized that it was like I was there, together with them, watching her.  Truly amazing.  It was a long time since I watched someone like that in the movie.

Anyway.  The film is really good and if you like other Denzel Washington movies with action, drama, and crime, “Deja Vu” is truly recommended.  9 out of 10. Solid.

I almost missed “Dan in Real Life“.  I wasn’t even planning to see it, since the poster is does not appeal to me and I’m not a big fan of Steve Carell.  I mean, he is OK, but he’s not someone who attracts me to the movie.  But anyway.  I ended up alone in the cinema.  And I’m glad I did.

This is a strong 8 out of 10.  There is no point at telling the story or bringing up any scenes from the film - most of them are rather traditional and have been seen before.  The movie follows the stereotypical love story with all elements such as close family involvement, road trip, hurting someone’s feelings, kids, rain, “go get her”, etc.  All these were present here too, and, I should say, there were very well done.

But the strength of the film is not in the love story.  It’s in other things.  For me personally, it was very refreshing to see a healthy family. And a big one a that.  This whole film was around a well managed and developed family - something they don’t show very often in the movies.  This film shows how parents can spend time with their children, how siblings can be good and supportive friends, how important are good family values and how they are passed along and cultivated.  This part of the film was so good that I almost could not believe my eyes.  Tha alone is worth the time.

And that wasn’t the only good part.  Somehow, the film is very romantic and sentimental.  Sometimes it’s said, sometimes it’s funny.  Sometimes it’s very social, and sometimes it’s very private.  And it “feels” very good too.  There is an almost natural balance of moods and transitions.  It’s not boring, and it’s not trying to squeeze any tears out of you, while, at the same time, it’s not trying to make you laugh so hard you fell from your chair.  It asks its share of questions, tries to provide some answers, and leaves a lot to think about, while still entertaining.

With all that, I am a little glad that it didn’t have a strong overwhelming story to tell.  It already offered enough, and with a good story it would be pushing its luck.  (However there are movies that do both).

Also, there is plenty of good acting in this film. It’s not brilliant or anything, but it is very believable and human.  There were some familiar faces cast for this movie, and those that aren’t so familiar, did equally good.

Overall : strongly recommended.